The family of a seven-year-old boy say they took him out of school over fears for his safety after he was punched by a fellow pupil.

Bosses at Helmshore Primary School are investigating after a dad complained his young son had been punched in the face three times so hard he had lost one of his teeth.

Chris Turner, from Haslingden, claims the incident on July 14 was the culmination of a two-year campaign of bullying by a pupil against his son Dylan.

He says he withdrew both Dylan and his younger brother Connor, five, from the school for the last week of term on safety grounds.

Chris, who is the managing director of a Rising Bridge-based software company, claimed the bullying had escalated to violence as Dylan was finishing Year Two.

Dylan Turner and his missing tooth

He said: “His mum and I were called to the school, and when we got there, we met our shaken and upset little boy, who for some reason had been returned to class along with his attacker and an ‘I lost my tooth at school’ sticker!

“Like it was something to be proud of. The dentist confirmed the tooth wasn’t coming out naturally, it’s been knocked out.

"We have reported it to the police. Dylan’s terrified to go back to class if that bully’s still there.”

Dylan Turner with dad Chris Turner

Chris, 34, added: “When I questioned how they could guarantee the safety of my son without implementing sanctions against the bully, the school’s only advice was to keep Dylan off school.

“As the bully has targeted Dylan’s younger brother Connor in the past as well, we have had no choice but to keep him from school also. The whole thing has been traumatic for Dylan, he’s been in tears over this.

“As nothing will change while the school is closed, we will resume this position at the start of term in September.

“We haven’t even got enough time to move our children to a new school for the start of term. We have now made a formal complaint to the chair of governors.”